Receptacle structure



A. L. MEROLLE 1,97 7,589

RECEPTACLE STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 30, 1952 Oct. 16;'11'934.

ITlUll-'I/ l/ Il 5 l -/Q' 5 9 A v 4 X/"Y .UNI il: il IZ l /w/ H A MPatented ct. 16, 1934' yUNITED STATES 1,977,589 RECEPTACL STRUCTUREAugustus L. Merolle, Brooklyn, N. Y., assigner of one-half to EmpireMetal Cap Co., Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New YorkVApplication September 3K0, 1932, Serial No. 635,587

4 Claims.

This invention relates to a receptacle structure, and an object of theinvention is to provide a receptacle so constructed that the receptacleclosure may be easily and conveniently moved 'to '5; closing positionupon the receptacle, so'that the closure may be readily tightened uponthe receptacle, and so that if for'any reason the closure should becomeslightly loosened it will not be likely to become so loosened as to falloff of the l receptacle or even permit spilling of the contents of thereceptacle.

VA more detailed object is to provide a receptacle with screw threadmeans arranged to be engaged by co-operative thread parts of a closurein the manner common to what is well known as divided thread structures,and to provide means to prevent likelihood of the closure becomingloosene'd beyond Aa predetermined amount in the event of the closurebecoming loosened at' all.

In the so-called divided thread structures the thread lugs of thereceptacle are quite steep so that if for any cause a closure shouldbecome slightly loosened out of its full closing position it willreadily continue movement in the loosening direction and leave thecontents of the receptacle likely to be spilled. Such looseningfrequently occurs when receptacles are in course of shipment orV duringhandlingby careless persons and is a common fault with the dividedthread structure.

According to the present application however if a closure should becomeslightly loosened from its sealing positionits continued movement willbe effectively arrested at a point suitable to pre- 135 vent spilling ofthe contents of the receptacle.

A further object is to so devise the parts that if desired a closure maybe purposely placed, for instance temporarily, in a position short ofits full sealing position so as to permit the escape of accumulatedgases from the receptacle, the closure being meanwhile held againstfurther loosening and being capable of being readily moved at any timeto full sealing position.

Other objects and aims of the invention, more or less specic than thosereferred to above, will be in part obvious and in part pointed out inthecourse of the following description of the elements, combinations,arrangements of parts and applications of principles constituting theinvenment of the invention:

tion, and the scope of protection contemplated Fig. 1 is a sideelevational view of a receptacle constructed in accordance with thisinvention.

"'ig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view, partly in elevation,illustrating a closure in full sealing position upon the receptacle, thesectional view being taken relatively upon the plane as indicated by theline II II of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a similar sectional view but illustrating a closure as itappears when in only a temporary sealing position upon the receptacle,the sectional view being taken relatively upon `the plane as indicatedby the line III-III of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing for describing in detail the structure asillustrated therein, the reference character L indicates the receptaclein general, while the reference character G indicates a closure withinwhich may be positioned the sealing gasket or the like as I-I in theusual position for resting over the upper open end of the receptacle inengagement with the annular upper edge of the receptacle wall.

The receptacle may be made `of glass or other suitable material and isformed with a smooth rounded annular bead as 1 exteriorlyv thereofspaced downwardly from-the upper end surface 2, and a suitable number ofthread lugs as 3 3 also exteriorly in the space above the bead 1.

The thread lugs 3 3 are suitably spaced, as at 4, to provide for theentrance between them of the thread lug portions as 5 5 which are 85provided upon the closure projecting interorly thereof.

. The upper surfaces as 6 6 of the thread lugs 3 -are preferably spaceddownwardly as at 7 a Vslight distance from the surface 2 of the recep-90 are inclined thread-like in the general manner as common toreceptacles and closures of this type, the surfaces 8 of the thread lugsrespectively being each vadapted to be slidably engaged by, oneof thelugs 5 of the closure so as to cause the closure to be moved into a fullclosing position `10o usually by something less than a one-quarterrotation of the closure.

' VIn the present instance thel under-surfaces 8 of the thread lugs 3 3extendidownwardly into such-close proximity with the upper surface ofthe bead 1 that when the closure is being rotated to closing positionthe thread lugs 5 of the closure will become wedgedr in lopposingsurface contact betweenr said under-surfaces 8 and the adjacent uppersurface portions of the bead, the arrangereceptacle.

@Si ai ment in this regard being similar to what is more fully shown anddescribed in connection with my co-pending application Serial No.635,585.

The lower end portions of each of the surfaces 8, that is approximatelybetween the points indicated X and Y Fig. 1 of the drawing, is ofshallow pitch, being almost, but not quite, parallel rotatively with theupper surface of the `bead 1the degree of inclination of said portionsX--Y being considerably less than the degree of inclination of the upperportions of said surfaces 8. upper portions of the surfaces 3 are thusof relatively steeper pitch than are the portions X-r rhe purpose oithis construction is so that during". initial rotary movement of the`closure onto the `'receptacle the thread lugs 5 will be caused to travelrapidly downwardly but that during the final stages of the rotarymovement of the closure onto the receptacle the speed of downward move-vment per unit of rotary movement will be reduced and the power of thedownward pull per unit of power applied to rotate the closure will becorrespondingly increased.

If a gasket, as H, be employed between the closure and the upper surfaceof the receptacle said gasket may be easily crushed into sealingengagement with the receptacle by the application of only a slightdegree of force during its last stages .of movement to sealing position.

The nearly parallelrelationship between the portions X-Y and the uppersurface of the bead l produces acute wedge-shaped` pockets between saidportions and the adjacent upper surface portions of the bead into whichthe thread lugs 5 of the closure may be forced and wedged to providesuitable frictional engagement between upper and lower surface portionsof the lugs on onehand and the surfaces X-Y and the bead on the other toefficiently hold the closure in full closing position. y

In fact, it is preferred that continued forced movement of the lugs 5toward the bottom or apexes of the wedge-shaped pockets may result in aresilient bending of the thread lugs 5 and thev consequent production ofsufficient frictional grip,

between the receptacle and the lugs 5 to hold the closure againstlikelihood of unintentional movement out of its full sealing position,as also more fully set forth in said co-pending application Serial No.635,585, as Well as in my co-pending applicationSerial No. 635,586.

Just upwardly of the sections X-Y of the thread lugs 3 the surfaces 8 ofsaid lugs are formed with notchesv as 9 providing reversely inclinedsurface portions 10 extending for a short distance in close proximity tothe point Y of said sections X-Y. At its higher end the surface 10merges downwardly into the section X-Y by an abruptly inclining surfaceportion as at 11, and at its lower end the surface 10 merges into theadjacent portion of the surface 8 as at 12.

Whenever a .closure is being screwed downwardly onto a receptacleprovided with the thread lugs herein disclosed the lugs 5 of theclosure, in

moving by the lower point 12, will cause a slight snap movement of theclosure as the lugs continue onto the surfaces 10, thus notifying theoperator of the fact that the closure is suiciently tight to preventspilling of the contents of the Itis intended thatat this time the partswill stand substantially in the position as indicated in Fig. 3 of thedrawing, a part of the closure, for instance the gasket H, beinginfairly close sealing engagement against ,the upper annular edge of thereceptacle. Itis'intended .that

The Y the sealing engagement at this time while sufricient to preventdisplacement of the contents of the receptacle is yet preferably such aswill permit the exhausting from the receptacle of excessive gas pressurewhich may be necessary to relieve from the receptacle before the nalsealing of thereceptacle.

To move the closure to its full sealing position its further rotation isreadily enabled, such 'further-rotation merely sliding the lugs 5 downthe, surface portions 11 and onto the sections X-Y of the thread lugs,the closure being then rotated to the limit of reasonable possibility,the portion as H of the closure being thus clamped so tightly againstthe receptacle as to completely and eiciently seal the receptacle, theparts being thus approximately in the position as indicated in Fig.y 2of the drawing.

l If nowfor any cause the closure should become accidentally orotherwise loosened back from its full sealing position, Fig-2, the lugs5 of the closure will snap into the notches 9. If the backward movementhas been purposely produced the snap movement of the-lugs 5 into thenotches will constitute a signal to the operator against furtherbackward movement and thus enable him surely to place the closure in aposition wherein the contents of the receptacle are preserved againstspilling and yet accumulated gases from within the receptacleare able toescape'` But in any event the engagement of the lugs 5 of the closurewithin the notches and against the reversely inclined wall portions 10of said notches will constitute a means operable -to hold the closureagainst unintentional backward movement beyond a predetermined amount,in fact 'the reversed incline of the surfaces 10 Vwill operate kto urgethe closure toward sealing position rather than toward looseningposition; v

It is intended that the resiliency of the gasket H, or of the lugs 5, ofthe closure will be such as to produce a spring grip of the lugs 5against the surfaces 10 when the closure is in that position, saidresiliency, either of the gasket or of the lugs, or of both, servingthereby to prevent retrogressivegmovementof the closure and beingoperable also to enable the closure to be rotated beyond the notches andinto full sealing position.

As many changes could be made in this construction witliout departingfrom the scope of the invention as dei-ined in the following claims, itis intended that all matter contained in the above description, or shownin the accompanying drawing, shall be interpreted as illustrative onlyand not in `a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecureVV by Letters Patent is:- V

VA1. A receptacle-having a series o f circumferentially inclined threadlugs exteriorly thereon adjacent its open upper endv adapted for threadengagement by a corresponding number of thread lugs of a closure forsaid receptacle, and the inclined portion of each of said receptaclelugs which is disposed for direct engagement by the closure lugs beingsmooth throughout its length circumferentially of the closure exceptthat it is formed with a single .notch therein Aadjacent to but spacedfrom the lower end of the incline for the reception of a thread lug ofthe closure for the purpose set forth.

2. A receptacle having arseries of circumferentially inclined threadYlugs exteriorly Athereon adjacent its open upper end adapted for threadengagement by a corresponding number of thread lugs of a closure forsaid receptacle, and the inclined portion of each of said receptaclelugs which is disposed for direct engagement by the closure lugs beingsmooth throughout its length circumferentially of the closure exceptthat it is formed with a single notch therein adjacent to but spacedfrom the lower end of the incline for the reception of a thread lug ofthe closure for the purpose set forth and except that it is ofrelatively steeper pitch at one side of said notch than at the other.

3. A receptacle having a series of circumferentially inclined threadlugs exteriorly thereon adjacent its open upper end adapted for threadengagement by a corresponding number of thread lugs of a closure forsaid receptacle, and the inclined portion of each of said receptaclelugs which is disposed for direct engagement by the closure lugs beingof a relatively shallow pitch toward its lower end and of relativelysteeper pitch toward its upper end and being smooth throughout itslength circumferentially of the closure except that it is formed with asingle notch at a point intermediate said relatively shallow and saidrelatively steep pitched portions.

4. A receptacle having' a `series of circumferentially inclined threadlugs exteriorly thereon adjacent its open upper end adapted for threadengagement by a corresponding number of thread lugs of a closure forsaid receptacle, and the inclined portion of each of said receptaclelugs which is disposed for direct engagement by the closure lugs havinga irst part of its length of relatively steep pitch and smooth surfaceinclining gradually downwardly 'circumferentially of the closurefrom'its upper end, a second part of its length continuing at a slightincline upwardly from the lower end of said first part to receive theclosure lug in a less-than-full sealing position, a third part incliningfrom the upper end of the second part downwardly to a point at least aslow as the lower end of the rst part as a shoulder to yieldingly opposemovement of the closure lug to full sealing position, and finally afourth part continuing from the lower en-d ofthe third part inclined inthe same general direction as the rst part but at a pitch less steepthan said irst part to receive the closure lug in full sealing position.

AUGUSTUS L. MEROLLE.

